Rolex to give Craig’s idea time of day
CRAIG LEE hopes a bumper Rolex Series cheque can help tee up his business venture.
The Stirling ace has returned to the big time at the Scottish Open, three years after quitting the European Tour.
Lee, a qualifier, is tied ninth in his first big event since 2017.
And he’s hoping a windfall this weekend can get his pro shop with fellow pro Heather MacRae up and running.
The 43-year-old said: “I’ve got a little business venture I am going to try to get off the ground and pretty much the money I win from here is going to go towards that.
“I’m taking my studio mobile to try to service the little courses around Scotland that don’t have pros. We were up at Taynuilt and have another couple of courses lined up in that area.
“We aim to visit them every four or five weeks.
“We’re going to buy a van, turn it into a little pro shop and a camper van, so that we can travel around Scotland to these wee courses.
“I hope there’s a market and, speaking to people at some of the clubs, they all seem keen for us to do it. These kinds of places are maybe away from the cities and when you go to them, I think they appreciate it a bit more.
“It’s going to be quite expensive to buy a van, kit it out and get all the toys I need in it. But you are never going to get a better opportunity to land some serious dosh than in a Rolex Series event.
“Making the cut was a must to make some money towards that and, with people also starting to think about putting their clubs away for the winter, it would be a nice little earner to see me through until spring.”
Lee is five shots adrift of leader Lucas Herbert, having been one of eight Scots to make the cut.
But there are no regrets about leaving the Tour when he did.
He said: “It’s really quite hard sometimes to separate from something that’s all you have ever wanted to do. I’ve seen it with a lot of guys who tried to soldier on but they just bleed money for years.
“To me, it was more of a business decision as opposed to thinking, ‘Am I still good enough?’ It was like, I don’t want to lose a fortune the next two or three years just hanging on to where I was. I felt like I wasn’t going to get any better.
“It was a hard decision but I think it was the right one and I am pleased I made it when I did.
“Even if I’d had a good week this week, I don’t think it would be a case of feeling as if I should have carried on. I don’t think I’d ever want to get the spikes back out and become a Tour pro again.”
A level-par 71 left Lee six under after 36 holes, with Grant Forrest (66) and Scott Jamieson (73) one stroke behind. Connor Syme (69) and Ewen Fergus Ferguson ( (70) 70) will tee up toget together toda today on thre three und under, the same as Marc Wa Warren ( (69).